What happens when a mature woman falls victim to the allure of the modern Asian Ball Jointed Doll? Will the devious doll divas succeed in separating balljointedwoman from her hard earned cash? Which diva will earn herself a new fashion this week? Stay tuned for the latest installment of As the Resin World Turns.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Jodhpurs for U-noa

Ihave been wanting to tackle this pattern for a long time. It's by Zozo, of Zolala! and it appeared in the October 2008 issue of Haute Doll. I chose my fabric a long time ago, cut it out, set it aside and didn't get back to it until now. Perhaps I should have tossed that fabric and started fresh with something lighter in weight. This fabric's weave is very close. I don't remember what it is (cotton duck, maybe?) but after working with it I suspect it might serve quite admirably either as a sail for a small boat or as canvas to paint on. I think this is leftover fabric from L-Heart's Brummel outfit. You'd think I would remember what a bear it was to work with.

The very first seam the pattern calls for is the curved seam inside the leg. I no sooner started pinning the two pieces together than I knew I would be sewing this by hand. There was no way I could make that small a circular seam on my machine. One of my insets ended up lopsided. Not sure how that happened, but I took it apart and redid it, topstitching and all. I did manage the topstitching by machine.

Many patterns call for finishing all seams by serging or by using a machine zigzag stitch. I don't have a serger, and have a hard time staying on track when I zigzag. Sometimes I ignore this instruction altogether. This fabric had a tendency to fray, so some sort of finish was in order. I don't like using products like Fray Check. I can never get a thin enough line and the resulting mess dries stiff and is hard to work with. So I opted to hand-finish with a blanket stitch. It took forever, but these seams definitely will not unravel.

I had hoped to pair the finished product with the tan-and-white stripe bodysuit U-noa Lusis was shown wearing in a previous post. The jodhpurs turned out to be a tight fit, however, and I knew I would have to make another top. I chose the same pink-tan-and-brown stripe that I used for IpleHouse Tania's bodysuit. It's a great match for the jodhpurs. Wish I could make the hat, too, but it was not included in the pattern pieces.

I paired the outfit with some cute boots I found on e-bay. Now I am working on a jacket from a different pattern, but that is for another post. My sewing machine is not loving this fabric, either, so I am sewing by hand again. It's a slow process. I have a couple of hat patterns to try: I'm torn between a newsboy cap and an aviator cap with goggles. Maybe I'll make both.

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The new top for Lusis meant I had a bodysuit and no one to wear it. I decided to try it on Narae, who liked it better than the white bodysuit. I caught Dharma eyeing the white suit and let her try it on. Not only did it fit her better than it fit Narae, but she was also able to wear the stockings where no one else could. I don't know if her original body could have worn them, but they fit the 41 cm IslandDoll body with only minimal tugging to get the stockings over her heels. I paired both bodysuits with existing skirts. Narae's is from Designs by Jude for Ellowyne Wilde and Dharma's is by Gracefaerie for Narae. Narae's cream-and-brown shoes are by Luts; Dharma's black ballet flats are by Goodreau.